"I choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard..." (inspired by JFK)

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

As it is our 20th wedding anniversary today I thought a bridal shot appropriate! My photography boss has kindly given me permission to post photos from the weddings I've been to with him on my website - and he offered, I didn't have to ask him! So I've been busy uploading some photos this morning. It has been fun to look back over the different weddings and see how my approach has changed.

This photo is from the second wedding I did with A.

Phil is in Birmingham today but will be home at 6 and all four of us are going out for Mexican food :)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Thanks, Susan, for the lovely little package that arrived yesterday. I was so thrilled to open it and see the contents. Susan, there is something on its way from me to you! I am so glad you're my friend :)

It's a busy week. Tomorrow is our 20th wedding anniversary and Friday is Phil's birthday. On Thursday I have a Friends event at work plus the adult monthly reading group. On friday we have Book at Breakfast and a literary talk in the afternoon.Saturday is so far looking fairly free but on Sunday Phil goes to Spain for the Duchess and I have another wedding. At some point I need to find time to edit my photos from the Portmeirion wedding!

Monday, April 28, 2008

This is my last Project Green post and it's Basil showing off his strange perching position and his beautiful green eyes!

I'm still on a massive high from the wedding on Saturday. If anyone is interested, here is a link to PortmeirionIt's a wonderful location for a wedding. The couple getting married were really nice and had twin boys aged around 3 who were very entertaining. A and I had the best location ever for our car picnic; overlooking the bay with great views of sea and mountains. The drive there and back was almost as much fun as the actual wedding. I am really looking forward to editing the photos some time later this week.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Close the door behind you as you leave?

What do you do when one person is spoiling something you love doing and you find it almost impossible to deal with it? Walk away is one answer. But that feels like giving up. Or stay and fight but I don't want to fight. Besides, this person is a far stronger person than I am and I would be on my own. I KNOW I'm over sensitive. I know I need to grow an extra skin. I don't know how to handle this situation at all. I have tried to be friendly. I have tried to stand up for myself. Both approaches have failed.

I think I'll take some time to think it over. I feel a bit despairing right now. Not a good state of mind to make decisions in.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ok, so there is blue in here as well...this is part of a mosaic mirror in my daughter's room. I like the way the colours complement one another.

The lovely weather in the UK is set to change; you have been warned! Nothing to do with isobars etc it's just that I have put away my winter clothes and got out my summer ones! Oh, it is nice to see them again but I can guarantee that the temperature will drop and snow will fall today...you wait and see!

Today and tomorrow I'm at the library all the time; nothing exciting planned.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

This glass is one of my favourite possesions; I inherited it from mum but don't know anything of its history, sadly. Funnily enough, I never thought to photograph it before Project Green had my looking around the house for suitable subjects!

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Last year, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the recountre by asking our readers for their own six-word memoirs. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and hilarious (“I like big butts, can’t lie”).

The rules of the meme are:1. Write your own six word memoir.2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.5. Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Here are my two efforts, below.

Daughter, lover, wife, mother, friend - memory.

Always afraid but determined to fight.

Frustration made me "compose" a third....something I always saying so it should probably be my epitaph...

Where are all the pens gone?

I'm not going to tag five people but I am challenging the incredibly talented wordsmith Dianne of Forks off the moment to do this as I think she'll do a great job!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day! I got an email from my photography boss and he said my photos from the last wedding were excellent!! I was floating about a foot off the ground after reading that, as I'm hopeless at evaluating my own work and just see all the faults and missed opportunities. After work and dinner it was still warm and sunny so I did some gardening. I was relaxing with Basil on the bench at the bottom of the garden wishing Phil was there too when the phone and it WAS Phil. So that was perfect.

Monday, April 21, 2008

This is Phil and our good friend Mel on Navy Pier in Chicago...happy memories!

Thanks to Akelamalu for this...I am in a bit of a creative drought so this has saved the day's post for me!!

It's the Hubby Meme...

Phil is away photographing this week and I'm missing him.

How long did you date? Three years

How old is he? I'm 2.5 years older than he is (he says 3 years, I say 2 years..)

Who eats more? He does but burns it all off!

Who said “I love you” first? He did. I wanted to reply at once but made myself wait a few days.

Who is taller? He is by 3"

Who sings better? He thinks he does but we are equally awful.

Who is smarter? He is. I would never have married a man who wasn't smarter than me!

Whose temper is worse? Interesting one...I lose mine more often but on the very rare occasions he loses his....it's terrifying!

Who does the laundry? We both do.Who does the dishes? He does if I cook and vice versa (we don't have a dishwasher.)

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? The right side as we lay in it would be me.

Who pays the bills? Mr Direct Debit pays most.

Who cooks dinner? Me. Although he makes the best fried rice.

Who drives when you are together? He does unless he intends having a drink then I drive but don't drink of course.

Who is more stubborn? He is.

Who asked who out first? He asked me out. And I said no (although I later changed my mind!)

Who kissed who first? I think it was a mutual thing....

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Usually him, although I'm trying! He says I can sulk for England.

Whose parents do you see the most? His, as mine are deceased.

Who proposed? We decided we'd get married after 3 months but had to wait for him to finish university. I did have a beautiful proposal when I got my ring :) It was worth the wait.

Who is more sensitive? Me ( he would say OVER-sensitive...!).

Who has more friends? Me. He's a bit of a loner and doesn't need people the way I do plus his long work hours don't allow much time for friendships.

Who has more siblings? He has two sisters, I have one brother.

Who wears the pants in the family? I think we have an equal partnership but I have a fairly traditional view of marriage and in my mind he is the head of the family and I respect his judgment greatly. I would not be comfortable with a man I could dominate...been in that sort of relationship and it was a disaster!

i'm not tagging anyone but if you feel like doing this let me know so I can check out your answers.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Blue is my very favourite colour and I noticed this lovely blue cottage and the blue door on my Port Sunlight trip.I love the little cockerel on the gable as well.

I've had a really "stupid" couple of days - I lost my house keys on Wednesday and could not locate them; all Thursday at work I fretted and worried and imagined the worst (burglars using the keys to break in, Phil divorcing me for carelessness, the exorbitant cost of changing the locks and getting everyone new keys...) This assumed major proprtions in my mind until I couldn't see past it! Yesterday evening I started looking for my keys and then realised I'd also lost my favourite necklace. I ripped the house apart; no luck with either.

Finally, exhausted and tearful I suddenly remembered where I'd hidden my necklace. As a last resort, I went through the rubbish from the kitchen bin and (thank God!) found my keys. All today I've been worrying WHY they were in the bin??? Did I put them there??? Am I losing my mind? Some may say I lost it years ago...

It's so stupid to get so ridiculously overwrought about stuff like this!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

This is part of a beautiful war memorial at Port Sunlight.

Phil is away at Eaton this week and I took the opportunity to stay up late on Tuesday night and edit the photos I took for last week's Wirral Book Fest. I then uploaded them to our library blog. I'm glad that's done. I still have wedding pics to burn to a CD for Andy!

I'm sort of missing Project Yellow already! I wonder if there will be a follow up...?

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I spotted the yellow forsythia and tulips in front of this cottage and of course thought of Project yellow. It's amazing how much yellow there is around when you come to look for it. I have so enjoyed this and seeing everyone's contributions. well done to anna for starting it off!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Project Yellow...

Today Phil and I went to Port Sunlight on the Wirral. There was lovely spring planting everywhere and I wish this blog had added "scent" so you could smell these hyacinths as well as see them. I thought of Project Yellow right away and took a picture of the massed flowers but it felt a little ordinary so I nipped into the visitor centre and took this photo through the window....not sure if it worked or not but it's better than the first one! (the shop assistant gave me a very puzzled look though.)

I have to admit Phil saw this sign first but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so I pushed him out the way and took one too.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Project Yellow...both pictures taken with the compact in a hurry!!

The first one is one of the keyrings on my large bundle of library keys. I really treasure this keyring which I bought on my first trip to NYC. The reverse shows the lion from behind. It is of course one of the two lions either side of the famous NYC public library building.

which arrived yesterday and I love it. It clips nicely onto my bag and the colours are much more vivid than they look in the photo.

It's my saturday in work...library work, as opposed to weddings. I think I am hooked on weddings and I'm counting the minutes to the next one in just over 2 weeks time.

On Thursday I met with a work colleague/fellow photographer and Red Bubbler for coffee and we agreed I could be his co-host on the NW UK group. There's not a lot of work involved but it will be great to meet some new people. I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Friday, April 11, 2008

This little item sits on my desk and is a real help when I'm doing a mailshot and have dozens of yucky-tasting brown envelopes to lick!

This is the roof of Lime Street Station taken in Liverpool last Friday with the compact. Anna, I thought of you...lines AND looking up!

I managed to halve my monthly mobile phone bill AND secure a new phone this afternoon. I used to use my mobile much more than I did but the past few months my 600 free texts and 300 inclusive minutes have largely gone unused. My contract was ended so I decided to renegotiate and got what I wanted! This is despite at first being told I was already on the cheapest monthly contract there was :)

I needed a new camera bag as I'm now going to be taking two camera bodies plus lenses to weddings and got a Lowepro Nova 5 on Ebay for a real bargain and NO POSTAGE as the chap was local so we could collect...Ebay can be so great :)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

One from the archives for project yellow as it's my long day at work today...a little yellow fish.You all made me laugh so much about the piper yesterday! I used to think I was quite a good flirt in my youth! Work is REALLY hectic today so only a brief post from me today. Hope everyone has a HAPPY THURSDAY!

We just managed to get a few photos of the snow on Sunday before it melted. It was so beautiful while it lasted....Got POTD on Wednesday on the Corner with this snowy photo above....:)

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Here is my third "Project Yellow" photo. It's a mixed bunch of flowers I bought myself last week. I have to confess the pic was NOT sharp but I was in a hurry so I quickly fiddled with it in PS and humbly offer it up - feel free to hate it LOL.

This is a shot from Saturday's wedding - for some reason there was a piper when the bride and groom arrived and he also piped the guests through to the wedding breakfast. He told me his poor knees were frozen after the outdoor piping session and his fingers were chilly too.

I have bought a new camera bag on Ebay, as neither the Lowepro rucksack or the Crumpler bag are big enough for two DSRLs and flash/lenses at wedding shoots. I got a Lowepro Nova 5 for a bargain price so i'm a happy Julie today.

First RDA session since Easter and it was good to see horses, volunteers and riders again after the four week break.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Project Yellow Take 2

I always refused to let the kids have a TV in their bedroom. Eventually they stopped complaining and telling me they were the only ones without their own TVs. It means we all spend our evenings together in the same room, watching TV when we watch it TOGETHER. I like that! Now reading this I feel justified and not just mean mummy!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teenagers with a bedroom television tend to have poorer diet and exercise habits and lower grades in school than those without one, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

While many studies have examined TV viewing habits of young people, researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health said little had been known about the consequences in particular for older adolescents of having a bedroom TV.

They questioned 781 adolescents, ages 15 to 18, in the Minneapolis area in 2003 and 2004. Of them, 62 percent reported having a television in their bedroom.

Not surprisingly, those with a bedroom TV were more apt to watch it a lot, clocking four to five more hours in front of a television per week, the researchers said. Twice as many of the teens with a bedroom TV were classified as heavy TV watchers -- at least five hours a day -- compared to those without one.

Girls with a bedroom television reported getting less vigorous exercise -- 1.8 hours per week compared to 2.5 hours for girls without a TV. They also ate fewer vegetables, drank more sweetened beverages and ate meals with their family less often, the researchers said.

Boys with a bedroom TV reported having a lower grade point average than boys without one, as well as eating less fruit and having fewer family meals, the researchers said.

"It really clearly points out that there's some merit to not allowing your child to have a TV in the bedroom," said Daheia Barr-Anderson, one of the researchers.

"When you upgrade your TV in the living room and you have this smaller TV that's out of date but still usable, parents should really resist putting it in one of your children's bedrooms -- and resist the pressure from the child to have a TV in their bedroom," she said in a telephone interview.

Monday, April 07, 2008

I spent the morning going through pictures from the last two weddings to give to my boss. I always feel like I'm submitting my homework and it's scary but he is always kind and encouraging with his comments - not like some of my old teachers!!

Sunday, April 06, 2008

I spotted this during "getting ready" photos at a recent wedding. It made me smile...I also liked the chocolate used as a bookmark!

I was very excited to wake up and realise it had snowed over night. Phil and I went for a little drive and stopped in Delamere to take some photos. It was so beautiful out...brilliant sunshine and blue skies...but the snow melted very quickly. I hope we get some more overnight. I am like a kid when it snows...I can't stop squeaking with excitement.I LOVE the way snow transforms everything.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

I noticed this road sign at a wedding today but did not have time to look at the front of it. I spent odd moments during the rest of the day wondering what it could mean...eventually just as I was dropping off to sleep I realised it had surely once read "school". I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer...

I really enjoyed the wedding as we managed to do plenty of outdoor shots. My boss entrusted me with the signing of the register pictures and most of the group shots. I am just praying they turned out all right.

I had some problems with my flash again and I'm not sure if it's me doing something wrong or the flash playing up.

Sometimes I wonder why on earth I'm trying to do this - one of the most pressured and stressful aspects of photography - when I know so little. Many of the photos I took last weekend, I hate. Sometimes I feel I'm going backwards...

Thursday, April 03, 2008

I got my Moo Cards today. They came really fast...I saw Anna's and I just had to have some. I am really thrilled with them :) My Moo card holder hasn't arrived yet but when it does I'll post a picture of it.This company is partnered with FLICKR so if you have a FLICKR account then you are good to go to create your own cards! You can use them for business or anything you can think up!

You upload your own images and you can add up to six lines of text on the back. They are just so dinky!! The trouble is I don't want to give any away LOL!Anna asked to see them so I took this little photo. I wasn't sure about some of the crops but they actually all look ok and some look surprisingly good :)

It has sort of made up for my sadness in realising that the flying penguins were an April Fool joke. If you can't trust the BBC who CAN you trust??

I'm at work today and we just had a WONDERFUL Baby Bounce session with ALL babies. Usually there are lots of toddlers who as toddlers do, tend to run around and play quite a bit. This session with just wee babies perched on knees was quite different and very sweet.I was feeling very broody.

Am missing the girls though, who are home with their grandparents. Am glad I have one last day off tomorrow.